But a company spokesperson provided a statement to Business Insider: "We are in discussions with state and national government officials. Any decision would come as a function of those discussions. We hope to announce something definitive soon."

Musk reportedly made his comments at a forum hosted by Tsinghua University in China.

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Chinese regulations generally require foreign automakers to enter into a partnership with a local counterpart before producing vehicles in the country.

According to Reuters, Tesla has sold just over 3,000 cars in China so far this year.